Pharmacist first came to my attention with their 2022 Flourishing Extremities on Unspoiled Mental Grounds release. It was like a bonus Carcass album dropped between Necroticism and Heartwork, and I couldn’t get enough of its crazy, deathgrinding pharmaceutical madness. It reminded me why Carcass was such a delight back in the late 80s/early 90s, and though it was a total homage album, it was too good to write off. I ended up including it as an Honorable Mention in my year-end list, and I still blast it and their debut regularly. Fast forward 4 years, and the 2 pill-pushing medical deviants that comprise Pharmacist are back for another morgue run with third album, Vertebrae After Vertebrae. Happily, the concept is largely unchanged. This still sounds like a lost Carcass album that would slot somewhere in their golden era before they Swansonged us all. But rather than short, tight deathgrind tunes, Pharmacist dares to draw their compositions out, sometimes pushing against the 7-minute mark. On paper, that sounds like a recipe for a terminal case of Toxic Bowel Erosion Disorder Syndrome, but somehow, these hippocratic cutups inject so much fun and rowdy insanity into the mix that you can’t help but hang on for the rip ride and wait for the bonesaw. Glove up, folks.
I will say upfront that the cosmic ass-ton of bloody fun Vertebrae After Vertebrae offers is muted by a loudish, muddy production. Is it a dealbreaker? No, but it is a missed opportunity for sure, and a slightly cleaner sound would have made this thing slice so much deeper. With all that on the table, let’s get inside the chest cavity. Opener “Propelled Inward” is a riotous, face-ripping, assblaster of a tune with chaotic riffs flying in all directions as pounding drums and dual vocal attacks spew shit, rot, and custard all over the walls. And about those riffs, they are fucking murderous. You won’t be able to hear them without wanting to throw fuel trucks at oil refineries just to watch the big BOOM. Inject a liquid form of this grind fuckery into my veins every morning, and my life is 666% improved. The title track delivers more of the same nasty action with brutal drumming pounding your cranium as more top-shelf riffs abrade your flesh. The drumming here gives me a kind of gnawing panic attack sensation, and I love that, though my doctor probably would not. The nearly 7-minutes of “Endogenica” is used wisely to bash you into pulp with an everflowing stream of caustic riffs that mine the depths of early Carcass but also wander into Kreator and Slayer territory too. It’s a remorseless wargrinder of a mid-tempo track with a relentless inevitability and weight behind it. It offers no mercy or respite, and frankly, none of you deserve such niceties anyway.
Over the course of the album’s 40 minutes, only closer “Zenith Of Mnemonic Forensication” slips the bit somewhat, clocking in at 6-plus minutes but feeling like it should stop around 4 minutes. It’s not bad, but the riffing can feel repetitive at times, and by the end things do start to feel overcooked. For a band playing such an intense and attacking style and frequently exceeding the 5-minute mark compositionally, it’s a small wonder things go off the rails so rarely for Pharmacist.
Ukraine-born “Pharmacist” handles vocals, guitar, and bass, and kills on everything. The riffs he delivers are just so much tooth-knocking, headbanging fun while being extreme and brutal, and he can keep your interest over a long period of time due to the frequent riff progressions and shifts. Vocally, he apes the early Carcass template with guttural death croaks, harsh barks, and frantic screams all blending into a sick, manic mush. It gives the material an unhinged energy and adds an extra layer of “wut the fuck?” that really wins me over. “Therapeutist” covers drums, and boy howdy do they get covered! The man is like a steam-powered smashing machine intent on punching you through a reinforced concrete slab. The berserk kitwork here is one of the big reasons I love this band. Brutal shite.
I had high hopes for Vertebrae After Vertebrae, and for the most part, it lives up to expectations and at times exceeds them. I know what Pharmacist does is not new or original, but damn, I want 10 more albums in this exact style. This is good enough to ride right on the cusp of greatness, but the production issues drag it back down a notch. Regardless, if you love the source material Pharmacist work from, there’s almost no way you won’t enjoy what they deliver. As you enter the corpse area, remember, the “P” in Pharmacist is silent, so act accordingly. Godspeed.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 3 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Hells Headbangers
Websites: pharmacistgore.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/pharmacistgore | instagram.com/pharmacist_band
Releases Worldwide: May 29th, 2026
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